After hours of ntal exhaustion, Veronica finally felt the weight lifting from her shoulders.
Her phone buzzed with Dario' na flashing across the screen. His voice ca through casual and warm. "Feel like getting out tonight?"
Thirty minutes later, Veronica pushed through the heavy glass doors of the upscale bar downtown. The dim lighting and pulsing bass created a world completely removed from her dayti reality.
Dario appeared at her side almost instantly, his eyes scanning her face with practiced concern. "You look like you could use sothing strong."
Veronica paused, weighing her options. The day had been brutal enough to warrant breaking her usual rules. "Sothing light would be good."
Dario studied her expression more carefully, noting the tension still lingering around her eyes. "Rough day?"
"Better now that I'm here." She managed a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Without pushing for details, Dario signaled the bartender and ordered her a delicate cocktail with barely enough alcohol to take the edge off. He knew her limits better than most.
Veronica wrapped her fingers around the cool glass, taking asured sips while Dario fell into easy conversation with a group of his friends nearby. The familiar chatter and laughter created a protective bubble around her, allowing her mind to finally quiet.
Neither of them noticed the pair of eyes tracking their every movent from the elevated section overlooking the main floor.
Kolton leaned back in his leather chair, swirling his whiskey with deliberate slowness. "Well, well. Look who's playing house down there."
The man beside him followed Kolton's pointed gaze, his attention imdiately caught by the scene below. When his eyes landed on Veronica, sothing shifted in his expression.
Kolton caught the subtle change and couldn't resist stirring the pot. "She caught your attention, did she?"
Rather than answering directly, his companion deflected with a question. "You two have history?"
"Not exactly." Kolton's voice carried that familiar edge of amusent that usually preceded trouble. "She's the one I ntioned before. Maverick's brief obsession before he completely lost interest and moved on."
The other man continued studying Veronica with newfound curiosity. Even in this environnt of flashing lights and heavy bass, she maintained an almost ethereal quality that set her apart from everyone else in the room.
While others seed to lt into the chaotic energy of the bar, she remained distinctly herself. There was sothing almost accidental about her presence here, as if she had wandered in from a completely different world.
Dario turned toward Veronica, extending his hand with a playful grin. "Co on. Let's see what you've got."
Dancing had never been Veronica's strong suit, but tonight felt different. Tonight she wanted to try. "Why not?"
They moved onto the crowded dance floor together, Dario leading while she found her rhythm in the music. The first few monts felt awkward and uncertain, but gradually her body began responding to the beat.
The alcohol was working its gentle magic, creating a pleasant haze that softened the sharp edges of her usual self-consciousness. A warm flush spread across her cheeks, making her skin glow under the shifting lights.
Her eyes took on a brightness that hadn't been there before, each glance carrying an unconscious magnetism that drew attention without her awareness.
Kolton muttered sothing under his breath, his knuckles tightening around his glass. "Christ. Murray doesn't have that dangerous edge like Crystal, but there's sothing else there. That innocent thing mixed with sothing deeper. She's like a loaded weapon disguised as a flower."
His companion remained silent, but his focus never wavered from the dance floor.
The sudden vibration against Veronica's hip cut through the music like a knife. She didn't stop moving imdiately, instead fishing her phone from her pocket while still swaying to the beat.
The na on the screen hit her like cold water.
Every muscle in her body went rigid. The color drained from her face so quickly that Dario noticed instantly.
Dario glanced at her screen and felt his own blood freeze. "What the hell does Blair want?"
They abandoned the dance floor without another word, pushing through the crowd toward the exit.
As they hurried past the bar, Veronica's eyes swept upward out of habit. She caught sight of Kolton's familiar face and the striking man seated beside him, but her mind was too occupied to process the recognition fully.
She looked away imdiately and followed Dario outside into the cooler night air.
Her voice transford completely the mont she accepted the call, becoming soft and deferential in a way that made Dario' stomach turn. "Mr. Blair."
"Tomorrow. Noon. Co get ."
The line went dead before she could respond, leaving her staring at her phone in confusion.
Dario moved closer, trying to read her expression in the streetlight. "What did he want?"
"He wants to pick him up tomorrow at noon." Her voice carried a mixture of bewildernt and resignation.
"That's it? No explanation? And he didn't ntion at all?"
Veronica shook her head slowly, still processing the brief and cryptic conversation.
Dario checked his own phone, scrolling through his ssages twice to make sure he hadn't missed anything. The silence from Malcolm felt deliberately pointed. "Son of a bitch is playing gas."
Despite everything, the evening had served its purpose. The music and movent had chased away the worst of her earlier mood, replacing it with sothing closer to peace.
Veronica reached over and gave Dario a gentle punch to the shoulder, her first genuine smile of the night finally appearing. "So did that help at all?"
"Not even a little bit. But if you pick up the tab tonight, I might forgive you for being Blair's favorite."
"Deal."
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